Tai Ke

Tai Ke (Chinese: 臺客) was originally a derogatory term used when the waishengren in Taiwan held certain discrimination against the benshengren (early settlers of the Taiwanese people). Today, the term is sometimes used to describe behaviors which are considered inappropriate, crude, unethical, or those that show disregard to others, but has been embraced by people who identify specifically as Taiwanese, and not part of an elite ruling class from outside of Taiwan imposing their own standards of behavior on the local population.

Some stereotypes of a Tai-Ke include dressing inappropriately at formal occasions, chewing and spitting betel nuts and modifying cars.[1] With the spread and development of mass media, Tai-Ke has been deliberately portrayed as a local sub-culture trend.

There are no specific or fixed set of characteristics, behavior or group that makes a Tai-Ke since fashion and lifestyle trends are always changing.

  1. ^ Keating, Jerome (10 May 2006). "To be 'taike' is to be a Taiwanese". Taipei Times. p. 8. Retrieved 2015-10-20.